Envy & Appreciation

Most of the time we think about what we don't have. We don't have enough money. We don't have enough friends. We don't have enough nice things. We don't have a family. We don't have pets. We don't have a sports car. But most people rarely take the opportunity to think about what they do have. We have a roof over our head. We have vehicles to get us from A to B. We have people that love us. We have a job. We have fresh air to breathe. We have food on our table. We have things to occupy our time. We have life.

I've been thinking lately. Everyone has something that someone else wishes they had. And everybody wishes they had something that someone else has. So I think about the things about my life that others might envy. I have a husband who loves me and takes care of me and provides for me. I have the most amazing dog. I have the best family-in-law a girl could ask for. I don't have to work. I have fantastic friends that have been and will continue to be there for me through anything and everything. I have time on my hands to do the things that I want to do. I have an amazing Mom who has seen me through everything, and a brother who has always been my protector.

I also think about the things that others have that I want. I want to not live paycheck to paycheck. I want a husband who is a little more sensitive and thoughtful. I want children to occupy my time. I want to decorate my house. I want to travel. I want ambition to follow something that I'm passionate about. I want to be out of debt. I want more of a social life. I want to own a place that we can call home forever.

There are people in my life who have a lot of the things I wish I had. Anyone reading this.. if you're a parent, I envy you. If you see all your friends on a monthly basis, I envy you. If you have the means to travel and buy all the things you want and need, I envy you.

I have some friends with jobs, college and children, or at least 2 of the three. They don't have a lot of free time and I often get the feeling that they envy all the free time that I have. I have time to scrapbook and go to the gym and spend with my husband or friends or family. They don't have as much of that time, so they have to be more choosey about how they spend their free time. What they don't realize is that I'm jealous of them. Okay, I don't really want to go to school and would only want a job if it was something I enjoyed... but children. I would love to have children getting in the way of my scrapbooking and using up all my money and making it hard for me to do anything social.

One of my best friends is starting a photography business and doing wonderfully with it. I wish that I had something that I was passionate about, as she is about photography. Something that I cared enough about to want to learn more, and want to pursue it as a career. I envy the passion that she has.

So what I'm trying to say is appreciate what you have, because you never know who is out there wishing they were in your shoes. Love your spouse, love your children, love your pets, love your house and your possesions and your job. Don't take it for granted as so many (myself included) do. Appreciate what you have and don't dwell on what is lacking in your life.